Hangin' Out with Family - A McRoll in the REALWorld Story
by Mari217
Summary: Catherine and Grace know better than most that there's nothing better than being with family ... BOTH the one you're born into AND the one you choose for yourself. Part 9 of the REAL World Thanksgiving Marathon.


_This one goes out to my REAL World family. Sammy & Ilna, in keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, I'm going to say one more time, I'm thankful for you every day!_

_I'm also thankful for the #REALMcRollers, readers, & reviewers, and for the way you've embraced the REAL World! I know Sammy & Ilna join me in that, so Nonna hugs to all!_

_Xoxo Mari_

_._

**Hanging with Family**

**McGarrett/Rollins residence**

**11:30 a.m.**

Grace was perched on the sofa between Elizabeth Rollins and Grandma Ang. "We're going to have lunch at a great place, Aunt Elizabeth. You'll love it." She turned to Catherine's grandmother. "You too, Grandma Ang. Auntie Cath and I ate there on our last girls' day."

"I'm sure we'll love it, Honey. We're very happy you invited us along." Elizabeth smiled at her husband over Grace Williams' head with a look that could only be described as nostalgic.

Joseph moved further into the room holding a cup of coffee and paused to place a kiss on their daughter's cheek as he passed the recliner where Catherine sat, running her hand over Cammie's fur.

"Girls' day, hmm?"

Grace nodded. "The last time we ate at Tango Café we went to movie night at Makiki Library after dinner. People bring blankets and everyone sits on the carpet and shares snacks. Then we all talk about the movie with the librarian. It's cool." She laughed, "Guess that makes it a girls' _night_ though, huh, Auntie Cath?"

Joseph grinned as he said to Grace, "You know, Grace, it really wasn't _so_ long ago that Catherine was your age. She and Elizabeth used to shop for nothing and then go out for lunch all the time." He winked at his daughter

"_Window_ shopping," Elizabeth said, laughing. "We didn't necessarily have something to buy and we were on a pretty tight budget in those days, but we liked to go look in the stores and see what was out there."

"And we always got something small," Catherine added with a smile, "even if it was a pair of costume earrings or a paperback." She cast a beautiful, beaming smile at her mom at the shared memory, "or something to send you, Dad, if you were deployed. Like a keychain or a photo booth picture of me and Mom." She swiveled to look up to where her dad stood behind the recliner. "Here, sit." She stood and indicated the chair, "We're gonna get moving. Do you want anything before we go?"

Joseph, still smiling, reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet. "Photo booth pictures? You mean like these?" He extracted a laminated strip of four images that had been carefully folded in half, and handed it to his daughter.

Catherine's hand flew to her mouth. "You do _not_ still carry this!" She took it with a smile. "I was twelve here. God, I look awkward." She faced Elizabeth. "Mom, you look gorgeous."

"Ohhh can I see?" Grace popped off the sofa and bounced over to Catherine, who held the photo out. "It's black and white!" She exclaimed and then said "You're not awkward. You were so pretty, even with the old-school haircut." She giggled and Catherine kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks for that, Grace, but yeah, _awkward_. Big time."

Steve came in from the kitchen with Danny. "What's that?" He smiled and Catherine rolled her eyes and shook her head at her dad.

"It's Auntie Catherine when she was my age. Look, Danno!" Grace handed the photo to her dad so he and Steve could see it. She swiveled towards Catherine's mom, "Aunt Elizabeth, you look _just_ like Auntie Catherine does now!"

"_Nice_ stone-wash, Cath." Danny grinned at his friend.

"Danny?" Catherine said sweetly. "In a little more than a month I can go through Nonna's photo albums. Do not mess with me." She winked and Steve let out a bark of laughter.

"Bring it. You've seen my most embarrassing photos." Danny turned to Catherine's parents. "Last summer when Steve and Catherine were at Nonna's, she whipped out _Danny, the Middle School Years_, in photo essay format."

"Oh, I bet there's a mullet picture somewhere the world outside of New Jersey hasn't seen." Catherine laughed and turned to a giggling Gracie. "Sweetie, we should go."

"Okay. Be right back." Grace ran off towards the lanai where she'd left her things, and when Catherine and Danny called out, "Bring your sweater!" simultaneously, Elizabeth Rollins' smile was not lost on the detective.

He winked at Elizabeth. "These two worry about her as much as I do, but I count on your daughter to curtail Steve's very special brand of crazy and limit my twelve year old's exposure to bungee jumping and deep sea diving." Danny's voice was light but the look in his eyes from one parent to another made Elizabeth smile.

Steve's partner trusting Catherine so implicitly with his child said a lot about the kind of woman he thought she was. Elizabeth knew her only child was, well, extraordinary; it was just nice when others saw it too.

She'd seen time and again since she and Joseph had arrived that Steve's friends were Catherine's friends as well. More than friends, actually, Danny and Grace Williams were her daughter's family.

* * *

><p><strong>Tango Café<br>Noon**

Grace and Catherine sat across from Elizabeth and Grandma Ang while Grace chatted happily with her newly acquired family members. "Did Uncle Steve tell you how I helped him surprise Auntie Catherine with their splash-back? He and Danno scraped the _first_ new one off and put the _second_ new one up while I kept her out shopping all day."

"And she did a great job." Catherine ran a hand over Grace's hair. "I was totally surprised."

"She was! She almost cried. You know, happy crying." Grace corrected right away, in case the adults misunderstood.

"We know." Elizabeth smiled. "Catherine called me the very next day and texted pictures, which I showed right to Grandma Ang."

Grandma placed a hand over Catherine's where it lay on the table. "It really is a beautiful kitchen, Darling. You and Steve did a wonderful job."

Catherine leaned across and placed a peck on her grandmother's cheek. "Thank you. You know that means a lot to me." Just as she glanced at the menu, her phone buzzed. "Oh, I have to take this, excuse me. Grace, order the mahi-mahi sandwich for me, please? I'll just be a minute; this may be some information I'm expecting on a case."

"Extra tartar sauce, right?" Grace grinned. "And a coconut water?"

Catherine nodded. "Thanks, Sweetie."

Grandma Ang smiled at Elizabeth and touched her daughter's hand. The easy familiarity Grace and her granddaughter had exhibited all week, made her feel Catherine was surrounded by people who loved her. That warmed her Grandma's heart.

Once the waitress took their orders, Grace leaned in conspiratorially and the women exchanged an amused look. "You know what?"

"What, Grace?" Elizabeth asked with a smile.

"Auntie Cath and Uncle Steve put that first splash back up because she wanted one that was inside the budget. But Uncle Steve knew she _really_ liked the one that's there now, better. So he bought that one, too, and put it up. Just so she'd be happy."

"Really?" The women knew the basics because Catherine had told them about the surprise, but hearing it from Grace was so sweet they encouraged her to continue.

"Really. Danno said it cost Uncle Steve a _lot_ of money." She put her hand over her mouth. "Oh. I shouldn't have said that part. My mom says it's rude to discuss what things cost."

"That's alright, Honey, we won't say anything." Grandma Ang assured her.

"Okay, I really only meant that Uncle Steve didn't care _what_ it cost because it made Auntie Cath happy. Danno teases Uncle Steve about being cheap, but he's _never_ cheap with Auntie Cath." Grace glanced to where she could see Catherine in the foyer, talking on the phone and whispered, "He really, _really_ loves her a lot you know."

"Is that so?" Elizabeth's smile was very much like Grandma's.

Grace nodded. "Yes. When she was on the ship, Uncle Steve wasn't happy when she was at sea like he was when she was here visiting. But then she got stationed at Pearl and he smiled a whole lot more, like he would when she was on leave," Grace said matter-of-factly.

"Danno says having Auntie Cath makes Uncle Steve the luckiest guy in the world." Grace stopped for a breath and continued, "But she loves him back just as much. And she's really happy, too. I can tell. So I think they're _both_ lucky." Grace sat back in her seat.

"Do you, now?" Grandma delighted in Grace's enthusiasm, and having lived long enough to know children often had better insight than adults, she grinned at her sweetly. "_How_ can you tell'?"

"I can mostly tell by how she looks at Uncle Steve. My mom doesn't even look at my stepdad like that, and they're married. And by how they are when they're together. They have _fun_. They like to do the same stuff. They _like_ each other." Grace clarified again. "Not _like_, like, because of course they love each other, but _like_. Because there're friends, too, and Danno says it's really important to be friends first, you know."

"Sounds like Danno's pretty smart."

Grace beamed and nodded. "He _is_, Grandma Ang, Danno knows about everything."

* * *

><p>As Catherine walked toward their booth, her body posture was different and all three generations picked up on it before she was halfway there.<p>

"Something's wrong." Elizabeth murmured, putting her sandwich down.

"They've got a case." Grace had seen her family in that mode enough times to tell. When her aunt reached them she said "You have to go. It's a case, right?"

Catherine smiled at her niece's perception. "Actually, Sweetie, it is. But it's right around the block. You stay and have lunch." She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. "Here, Mom, please take mine to go, I'll have it later. And grab a taxi to the botanical gardens and then back to the house."

Elizabeth waved her away. "Don't be silly, you're not paying. Go. We'll be fine and we'll take Grace back to your house when we're done sightseeing. I assume Danny's been called in as well?" At Catherine's nod, she said, "Wait," and stood, holding out her arms. Catherine moved into them and relished the hug. "You be safe, Sweetheart."

"I will, Mom. Grandma, I'll see you later, okay?" She kissed Ang. "Grace, don't let these two get in any trouble, alright? I'll tell Danno you'll be with Aunt Elizabeth and Grandma Ang and we'll meet you back at our house." With a kiss on Grace's head, Catherine pulled her badge from her purse and clipped it on as her phone chirped again.

Elizabeth Rollins watched with a mix of pride and trepidation as her daughter walked away saying, "Steve? Did you get a sit rep? My E.T.A.'s two minutes."

* * *

><p><strong>1:15 p.m.<strong>

Elizabeth looked up to the shriek of sirens and, exchanging a glance with her mother, took a sip of iced tea. Not thirty seconds later, Catherine walked into the restaurant as Grace proudly proclaimed, "They caught the bad guys already!"

Catherine saw the wave of relief pass over her mom and she leaned down to kiss her. "I took a chance you were still here." She smiled and sat next to Grace. "Did I miss dessert?"

"Nope!" Grace bubbled, happy all was well and their plans were back on track.

The college-age waitress appeared to say, "Hi, Lieutenant Rollins, I was just going to wrap your order to go, should I bring it out?"

Catherine regarded her mom and grandmother. "Were you ready to leave? If you're having dessert, I'll eat, but if you're ready to go sightseeing I can just take my food and eat it later."

"No, no. You sit and eat." Grandma Ang turned to the waitress, "Lily, please bring my granddaughter her lunch and we'll sit and chat a bit longer. I'll bet Grace could eat a scoop of ice cream, at least," she winked "just to keep Catherine from eating alone, of course."

"Of course!" Grace nodded. "I'll have chocolate, please."

The waitress giggled at the lovable senior citizen who so clearly adored her granddaughter. "You got it."

Grandma Ang turned to Catherine. "Lily here is a sophomore at Hawaii Pacific, aren't you, Dear?" When Lily nodded, she continued. "Isn't she just darling? She's a history major, wants to teach high school social studies."

Catherine grinned at her grandmother's uncanny ability to get perfect strangers to open up and tell her their life story. Catherine had talked with Lily before and knew she was a student at HPU, but Grandma Ang had learned her career goals in the time it took for Lily to deliver their meal. "That's terrific, Lily." She noticed the girl was smiling at her grandmother. It never failed.

"Oh, that's right; Catherine eats here often with Grace, doesn't she? Well, then you probably know my granddaughter graduated from Annapolis with high honors. She was always brilliant, even as a little thing. She was reading at four years old."

Grace laughed after Lily left to get their food. "You sound like Danno, Grandma Ang. He always tells everyone how smart I am."

"And why not? He's proud of you, Honey." Grandma patted Grace's hand and Catherine's eyes sparkled. Her grandmother could light up her day with just a phone call. Having her visit and meet all of her and Steve's extended family filled her with joy.

She leaned across the table and kissed her grandmother's cheek. "I love you. You're the best."

Grandma Ang beamed. "And I love you, Sweetheart, with all my heart. And I couldn't be prouder."

Catherine's eyes were suddenly glistening as she took both her grandmother's hands in hers. Giving them a gentle squeeze, she whispered "Thank you," and gave her a dazzling, if watery, smile.

* * *

><p>Less than five minutes later, the manager placed Catherine's lunch and Grace's ice cream on the table. "Check is on me, today, ladies."<p>

"Hi Matt, and thank you, but why?" Catherine ate at the café often with Grace and on occasionally with the whole team. The staff knew them, but they weren't 'comped' meals.

"The hostage situation Five-0 just diffused? The owner of the car wash is my boss' brother. He ran over there right after you did and saw the arrest. He told me if Grace was still here with the rest of your family, everything's on the house."

"Oh, Matt, that's sweet but I can'taccept_ …" _

"He knew you'd say that." The manager smiled, "so consider it a welcome to Oahu for this lovely young lady." He indicated Grandma Ang.

"I'll tell you what; I'll accept his thanks and a handshake next time we're in. I do appreciate the offer, so much, but I really can't. But please tell him thank you again." Catherine smiled at the young man and winked at her grandmother.

"You tell him I tried, okay?" Matt nodded to the others. "Enjoy your day."

"Five-0 isn't allowed to accept presents." Grace explained. "People try to give them stuff all the time." Her expression turned impish, "_Especially_ Uncle Steve."

Catherine snorted and her mom tilted her head in a questioning gesture that mirrored one Catherine often made. "Really? What kind of stuff?"

"Drinks, lunches, stuff for the truck, even though they always use Danno's car, dinners. He gets embarrassed sometimes. And when ladies flirt with him, it's funny because he just doesn't notice. Danno says he's oblivious because he loves Auntie Cath so much." Grace grinned at Catherine.

"Is he, now?" Elizabeth had seen the looks her daughter's boyfriend got from other women, going all the way back to when she'd first brought the handsome young man around. She knew Grace was right, that Steve McGarrett had never seemed to notice, he'd always had eyes only for Catherine. It was especially nice to hear that still held true all these years later.

Not that she'd ever, for a minute, doubted Steve's fidelity and devotion to Catherine. How much he adored her was written all over the man's face. In fact, Elizabeth was convinced she'd realized it before her daughter did.

"Yeah," Grace continued, "And it's usually cute, because Auntie Cath will tease him about it, but some women get obnoxious." Grace looked annoyed at the thought. "I don't like that, it's rude. Especially if they try to give him a phone number and Auntie Cath is right there. Once or twice I was there, so I told them Uncle Steve was taken and they should go away."

Catherine looked between her mom and grandma and put an arm around her niece's shoulders. "Grace is very … _protective_."

"I can see. That's very sweet of you, Grace, even though I'm sure you know there's nothing to worry about where your Uncle Steve and Auntie Catherine are concerned, I'm happy you're looking out for my baby when I'm far away." Elizabeth winked and stage whispered, "Your very brave Auntie Catherine is always going to be my baby, just like you'll always be your dad's."

"And Elizabeth, here, is mine." Grandma Ang's eyes crinkled with her smile and she patted her daughter's hand.

Grace giggled at the thought of Catherine and Elizabeth being anybody's babies, but she knew it was true. Danno said so all the time. That she was gonna be his Monkey even when she was a great-grandmother like Nonna.

Catherine blew her mom a kiss. "Looks like we're about done, what do you say we do that sight seeing? Grandma, you're not tired, are you?"

"Oh, get out, I'm fine. I've done nothing but ride in the truck and sit. Let's go see some of the beautiful sights and then I'll rest before dinner."

Catherine went up to settle the check and bring the truck around. Grace took Grandma Ang's hand to walk outside and whispered to the women, "You don't have to worry about Auntie Catherine when you're back home, 'cause we all make sure she's okay. You know, like she does for us."

"Thank you Grace." Elizabeth leaned down to kiss her cheek. "That makes us very happy."

"You know, when Danno and I got here we didn't have any family. None at all. It was just us. Everybody was in New Jersey. We missed them a lot. Danno says _everything's_ better when you're hangin' out with family. Then we met Uncle Steve and Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono and it was better." Grace tilted her head toward the area outside where Catherine would pick them up.

"And when I met Auntie Catherine I loved her right away. She was fun and smart and didn't treat me like a little kid. Uncle Steve smiled so much when she was visiting. Pretty soon after she met me, she told me all about her dad. How Uncle Joseph was in the Navy and how she used to miss him. I was missing Danno so much that day and she explained how we need make the most of the time we get to spend together instead of feeling bad about the time when he's out keeping the island safe for everybody."

Grandma Ang grinned when she heard her own words leaving Grace's lips. She's said the same thing to Catherine when she was a child and was missing Joseph due to a long deployment.

"Then, mostly every time she was on leave to visit Uncle Steve, we'd all do stuff together. It was so cool when she got stationed here and even _better_ when she moved to Uncle Steve's. I get to see her all the time now. We all look out for each other, because we're family. So, even though you guys live on the mainland, it's okay that Auntie Cath lives here because she already had family when she got here. She and Uncle Steve have us."

Grace smiled up at the two women. Elizabeth was looking a little teary when she squeezed Grace's hand. "Yes she does, Grace, yes she does." She looked up at the sound of a horn beeping and saw Catherine stepping out of Steve's truck at the curb.

"Okay, let's do this." Catherine said as she helped Grandma Ang into the cab and Elizabeth and Grace climbed into the back seat. She turned to face her mother. "I'm glad you got to hang out with Grace while I got called in. Luckily, it wrapped up fast with no casualties, so we can still go ahead with our plans." She smiled. "Looks like the three of you had fun at lunch."

"We had _lots_ of fun." Elizabeth winked at Grace and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We love 'hangin' out with family.'"

.

_End. Thanks for reading. ~ Mari_


End file.
